![]() ![]() ![]() Flame-free and under-populated, it's more Palm Sunday than auto-da-fé. ![]() The much-derided red Duplo of the monastery garden has been repainted in black, happily, but the third act's burning of heretics has been toned down so radically that it now resembles a procession of the faithful. Hytner has returned to oversee the revival, and he, designer Bob Crowley and lighting designer Mark Henderson have tinkered with the look of it - with mixed results. This third incarnation of Nicholas Hytner's production is blest in some of these departments but by no means all. On top of some extravagant technical resources they need an ace team of Verdi specialists to do it justice: one each of virtuoso soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone and maestro, plus three basses and a crack chorus. If Verdi had problems getting all his ducks in a row, it's not much easier for opera houses. The King finds his new Queen cold and unresponsive, the Church sees devilry at every turn and the State, for historical reasons that the opera barely touches on, is at war with Flanders. Neither the prince (the 'Infante') nor his intended have any say in the matter, and the new status quo pleases no one. Don Carlo's problems begin when his father, King Philip II of Spain, decides to wed his son's beloved. It's an intimate tale of forbidden love in a turbulent political landscape. The Royal Opera's choice represents Verdi's final thoughts, pretty much, and at five acts over four hours with no Parisian ballet it's all story. It's certainly his longest, although there are almost as many different versions of Don Carlo ( Don Carlos in its original French-language version) as there are hours in the day. ![]()
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